READINGS for 2009-09-16

“God’s wisdom, however, is shown to be true to those who accept it.” – Luke 7:35

I leafed through a new men’s magazine with an editor’s critical eye. The pictures were clear. There were no typo errors in the publication. And the layout was fantastic. But even as I chose to objectively see the positive points of the publication, the fact remained that it was a porn magazine. So no matter how technically excellent it was, the mag was still bad!

Margaret Hungerford, who wrote the famous line, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” was right. Yes, depending on one’s perception, the ugly can be beautiful. And conversely, the beautiful can be ugly, just like in today’s Gospel where Jesus lamented about how wrongly people had judged him and John the Baptist. Forming their opinions based on superficial things, they called John possessed and Jesus a glutton and a drunkard.

That, of course, was the farthest from the truth. But people missed it. They lacked God’s wisdom to discern the truth. Let’s pray that in our often confusing world, we may be wise to discriminate between what seems to be good and what actually is. Even when it’s beautifully packaged in a glossy magazine. Cynthia Santiago

REFLECTION:

What have you been reading — and appreciating — lately?

Lord, I pray that the public will buy reading materials that celebrate Your wisdom and glorify You.

There are some aspects of our faith that will remain a mystery to us. We will never be able to fully grasp their significance and meaning. This is nothing to be concerned about as what is available to us is enough to keep us busy for the rest of our lives. The critical thing here is that we are free enough to live with an element of mystery and trust so that the grace of the Spirit will have the freedom to work in us.

1 Timothy 3:14-16

14 Beloved: I am writing you about these matters, although I hope to visit you soon. 15 But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth. 16 Undeniably great is the mystery of devotion, Who was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.

P S A L M

Psalm 111:1-2. 3-4. 5-6

R: How great are the works of the Lord!

1 I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart in the company and assembly of the just. 2 Great are the works of the LORD, exquisite in all their delights. (R) 3 Majesty and glory are his work, and his justice endures forever. 4 He has won renown for his wondrous deeds; gracious and merciful is the LORD. (R) 5 He has given food to those who fear him; he will forever be mindful of his covenant. 6 He has made known to his people the power of his works, giving them the inheritance of the nations. (R)

G O S P E L

Jesus is more than a little frustrated with the superficial nature of the faith of the people, and challenges them to look beyond the appearances of faith and into the depths of faith, where truth is embraced and righteousness is lived. We live in a world that embraces superficial values to the nth degree. There is always the danger that we transpose this attitude to our faith. This would potentially have disastrous consequences for us. We must not allow the world to trivialize our faith and maintain our belief no matter what the cost to us may be in the eyes of the world.

Luke 7:31-35

31 Jesus said to the crowds: “To what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’ 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ 35 But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

my reflections

think:Am I free enough to live with an element of mystery and trust in my life?

When a believer is confronted with a question of unbelief from an unbeliever, it is almost impossible to make sense of it. For the believer, the only logical response to the evidence of the Scriptures is faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, many people seem unable or unwilling to make the connection and thus come to faith. If we think like this, how much more would Jesus be frustrated with the same situation when He proclaimed the Gospel during His time?

We could be tempted to despair at the inability of the Gospel to penetrate into the modern materialistic and secular culture. This would be a mistake — to underestimate the power of the truth and the Gospel is failure to recognize the efficacy of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians that there will come a time when every knee will bow and every tongue confess the name of Jesus (Philippians 2:6-11). It is up to us to continue to pray for this time and to work at it by living for the Kingdom of God and not the Kingdom of the world.

The witness of the believers’ lives will ultimately be the turning point that will bring conversion to the unbelievers. Either we believe this or we deny the Scriptures. We cannot put a time frame on this as it is up to God, through the Holy Spirit, to bring about conversion in peoples’ lives. All we can do is live the Gospel faithfully and let the Spirit use us for whatever plans He has.

Jesus was obedient to the will of His Father. Do we think that anything less will be asked of us? Of course not! It is our privilege, never just a task, to obey God’s will. It is here that we will discover what it means to be one with God, and thus discover human fulfillment. We have all been created for eternal life and the sooner we realize and act upon it, the more fulfilling our lives will be. It is our loss, and to the detriment of our life’s experience, to delay obedience to God’s will.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

Reflection Question:

Do I really believe that my fulfillment will be found in God’s will? If I believe this, why do I so often go about things without first consulting God?

Holy Spirit, You are the strength I need to live for God. You are the only way I am going to be able to live for God and not just for myself or the passions of the world. Please bring greater conversion to my life.

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